Joe"My Name Is Joe"

Although he's never made it big over in the UK, Soul crooner Joe can at least be credited for releasing arguably the best R&B record of the year 2000.

Joe gets all hot 'n bothered on the up-tempo "Table For Two", pumpin' "Black Hawk", wicked "Get Crunk Tonight" and suggestive "Somebody Gotta Be On Top" and flexes his vocal muscles on soulful ballads like "Peep Show", the beautiful "One Life Stand" and his US hit "I Wanna Know".

He's perfected the craft of soul-drenched R&B so well that he even has the biggest names in the business wanting to perform with him. *N Sync duets on the soppy "I Believe In You" and Mariah Carey lends her vocals to the remix of "Thank God I Found You", with rapper Nas.

So if laid-back cruisy R&B is your thang, grab "My Name Is Joe" and turn it up!

Although there are plenty of male R&B crooners out there, very few that come close to the likes of R. Kelly and Joe.

Check out "Somebody's Gotta Be On Top", "Table For Two", "I Wanna Know" and "One Life Stand", for examples of Joe's soulful style. Joe duets with *N Sync on "I Believe In You" and Mariah Carey on the "Make It Last" remix of "Thank God I Found You".

The midtempo, "Stutter," produced by Teddy Riley, is one of the album's many highlights.

Overall, the smooth vocals and excellent production make this album a contender for R&B album of the Year. Quality R&B can now be found in the form of "Joe"!